BMF- Boss, Mentor, and Friend: For Jane Balais-Maderazo

I worked with Jane for about five years, but the impact she made on the kind of leader that I am is forever.

As a boss, she taught me to strike a balance between looking after the business, while taking care of your people. She was always approachable and never let her position get in the way to be accessible to anyone. She related people’s well-being to the success of the business, and that the two should always go hand-in-hand.

As a mentor, she encouraged me to always be better – to try new things and to move on if they don’t work out as expected. She encouraged collaboration, as well as healthy arguments. Though we didn’t always agree on our methods, she was always willing to listen and allowed me to try things my way. Nonetheless, she made herself available for guidance and advice whenever I needed it.

As a friend, she genuinely cared for my well-being. She is compassionate about family situations and understands that family should always come first. In spite of being good friends, we remained quite professional and were never overly-familiar – things that are meant to be confidential remained as such, honest feedback was provided as needed – like we were different people at work and off work.

Not everyone is lucky enough to work with someone that truly makes a positive impact on their lives. I’m glad that I was. More than having a boss, I had the pleasure of also having a mentor, and earning a good friend for life.

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